Azerbaijan , Baku, Sept. 27 / Trend A. Isgandarov/
Heavy clashes rocked northern neighborhoods of Yemen's capital Sanaa at dawn on Thursday, breaking a truce aimed at ending the worst violence since a popular revolt against President Ali Abdullah Saleh began eight months ago, Reuters reported.
A Reuters reporter at the scene said three areas in north Sanaa had been hit by heavy shelling and gunfire between government troops and armed followers of a powerful tribal leader, Sadeq al-Ahmar, who supports the opposition.
Many residents fled their homes on Thursday morning as the fighting intensified, shattering three days of calm in the capital after Saleh ordered a ceasefire upon his surprise return to Yemen on Friday.
The truce had followed more than a week of fighting when over 100 people died, raising worries that the country could be dragged closer to civil war.
World powers fear that chaos in Yemen, home to al Qaeda's most powerful regional branch and adjoining the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia, could imperil oil shipping lanes and raise the risk of militant strikes on Western targets.